Engagement ring cost?

Question

How much do you think is appropriate to spend on an engagement ring? If you were going to buy one, what would you spend on it? If you have purchaced one in the past, what was it like and how much did you spend?

Answer 1

I think you should spend only what you can afford.There should be no rule of thumb.
If you love the man,you'll love the ring no matter what price.There are many more important things in life and marriage than the value of a ring.
A ring is only a symbol.What the heart holds for each other is what's important.

Answer 2

I've read a lot of questions on here about the cost of the engagement and wedding ring costs. I personally don't agree with the rule of tumb on the 3 months salary. (most widely answered was 3 months) If you think about it, (here in Ontario, Canada, min wage is $8 something an hour) Well working that out, three months salary is aprox. $3400. I don't imagine that I would want to be spending that much money on ONE ring if I were makin min. wage. My engagement ring wasn't that much, and my fiance and I do well. It's a matter of what you think is reasonable for your life and life style I guess. I saw some god awful rings that were so big that they looked fake and ugly. I picked out a three stone ring as the engagement ring, and a 19 stone ring for the wedding ring. The three stone ring was more expensive mind you than the 19 stone ring, (size of course). I don't like sharing exact prices, but I'll say that I picked out for myself what I knew was reasonable for my fiance and myself. Do the same :) There is no reason to go into debt over a ring. A friend I know has a CZ stone in her ring, and I seriously couldn't even tell until she told me. It was gorgeous. Just something else for thought ;)

Answer 3

It depends on your salary but I would say that anywhere from 1 to 2 grand is a good amount to spend on an engagement ring (for the average person)! Mine only cost 1100 but I love it and it has all of the lifetime warranty's too. I would say that you should get one with at least 1kt.

One problem that I have with my engagement ring is that when my fiance picked it out he didn't consider a wedding band and when we went to get our wedding bands we had a hell of a time finding one that complimented my ring well. So find a ring that you think he/she will love and then make sure that you get the lifetime warranty's with it. But remember that one day you are going to have to find a wedding band that will look good with the ring. Also consider buying an engagement ring that comes with a band in a set (it makes things much easier).

Find a jewelry store that isn't paid on commission, that way you will truly get their help and opinions instead of them just trying to sell you the most expensive ring they have. And before you buy the ring ask the jeweler about insurance, warranty's, and sizing costs. Dont let them talk you into anything though, sales people in a jewelry store can be very pushy sometimes. When you walk in tell them that you are just looking and that you will ask if you need their help. Dont buy from the first store that you go to, shop around a little bit for prices and jeweler integrity!

This is a big step in life and also an expensive one, take your time and look around before buying!

Answer 4

The rule of thumb is 2 months salary. But, the price will vary depending on the cut, color, clarity and carat of stone--the larger the size, generally, the more expensive, but you can find a large stone with poor color and clarity that will be less expensive than a great colored and very clear smaller stone.

My ring is a 1.2 cut, very good cut, F color, VS2 stone in a white gold setting with .38 carat total baguettes (.16 on either side) on the side. It cost around $10,000. It is absolutely beautiful--I literally have strangers who stop me to compliment my ring. It's not all about the size of the stone--yes, 1.2 is large and it is beautiful, but what's more important than the size is the color and cut--that will tell you how white the stone is and how sparkly it will be because the better the cut, the more light it will reflect.

You and your soon to be fiance should go and try on rings to see what you want--I went into the process thinking I wanted a totally different style of ring than what I fell in love with (and ultimately ended up receiving) when I started trying things on.

Go to several different jewelers and try on rings, especially when you find what you want. You can then compare prices for diamonds/settings of comparable quality and find the best deal. Also, it is very important to make sure your stone is GIA certified--there are several other diamond certification associations out there, but the GIA is the most honest and reliable, so you know that you are actually getting what you are paying for. Also, ask friends in the area who have already gotten engaged if they can recommend jewelers. It's great to have a jeweler you can trust--it helps make the process much easier!

If you (by some freak chance) happen to live in the Jersey Shore area, definitely go see Nick at Bentley Diamonds on Rt. 35 in Wall. He is honest, only sells high quality diamonds and is the best priced jeweler out there. That's where my fiance got my ring on a tip from a coworker of mine.

Anyway, I answered a lot of questions you didn't ask! So...congratulations in advance and I hope you get what you want!

Answer 5

I don't think there should be any set amount that a person should spend on an engagement ring, you should spend only what you can afford to spend. An engagement ring is a gift and a promise of marriage to the person that you love and that person, if she truly loves you, should be happy with whatever the cost of that ring. A certain size diamond or amount spent on a ring should never be expected by the prospective bride.

Answer 6

You should spend what you can afford, no more, no less. Remember, too, that it's the bride's responsibility to buy her husband's wedding ring. If you demand a particular size/style/price ring, he can do the same.

My fiance and wear our wedding rings during our engagement, according to the customs of his country. I can promise you that neither of us spent anything like 2 months salary. We decided that we'd rather spend that kind of money on other things:
wedding
home
car
travel
savings

Think about it, before you decide that only a 2 carat diamond or "rare" gemstone will do. Cost of ring does not equal the value of his love.

Answer 7

It's all well and good saying it's supposed to cost this or that, but there are not many people out there that can afford to spend a month's salary, or 3 months salary as some people think. Mine was inexpensive, but it is the sentiment behind it that counts. I think it is wrong to put pressure on people to spend more than they can comfortably afford, if I knew that my b/f had spent a whole month's wages I would worry that we would not be able to make the rent or bills that month, having a roof over my head and food to eat is more important to me than a ring.

Answer 8

what my husband bought me was a wedding set. It has both the engagement ring and the wedding ring. The total cost was around $900. The engagement ring had more diamonds on it so it was about $650. But it all depends on what kind of ring you want.

Answer 9

This is totally up to your guy, and his budget. He should not go into debt over a ring. The average is around $600 to 800, which buys a totally beautiful ring. The stuff about it being one or two or three months' salary is just a marketing ploy by advertisers, so that is not to be done.

Answer 10

I think for most people, no more than 3 months salary is appropriate. My fiance spent approx. 2 month's salary on the engagement ring and 1 month's salary on the wedding band.